Dodgers Acquire Carlos Ruiz, Send A.J. Ellis To Phillies

The Dodgers have added another Phillies stalwart, bringing in veteran catcher Carlos Ruizvia trade. In an interesting twist, Los Angeles will send its own long-time backstop, A.J. Ellis, back to Philly in the swap.

The Phillies will also pick up some other assets in the deal. Young righty Tommy Bergjans is on his way to Philadelphia, along with a player to be named later or cash considerations.

There’s a financial element to the deal, too. Ruiz’s $8.5MM salary still has about $1.85MM left to go on the year, while there’s a little less than $1MM owed Ellis in his final season of arbitration eligibility (which was costing the team $4.5MM). The Dodgers will presumably also be obligated to pay Ruiz a $500K buyout on his $4.5MM club option for 2017 — unless the team elects to pick it up.

Ruiz had spent all of his 17 professional seasons with the Philadelphia organization, including the last eleven at the major league level. The trade leaves Ryan Howard as the lone remaining member of the Phillies’ 2008 World Series-winning roster.

Now, Ruiz will join long-time Phillies teammates Chase Utley and Joe Blanton in Los Angeles in search of another playoff run. Ruiz will obviously still play a reserve role, befitting his age and the excellent play of Dodgers starter Yasmani Grandal. But the Dodgers will part with Ellis to facilitate the addition, ending his own 14-year tenure with the organization (with parts of nine campaigns in the bigs).

In terms of 2016 on-field results, it’s not hard to see the reasoning for the move from L.A.’s perspective — even if it comes with some risk given Ellis’s vaunted clubhouse status and relationship with ace Clayton Kershaw. The NL West-leading Dodgers have watched the 35-year-old Ellis limp to a .194/.285/.252 batting line over 161 plate appearances, marking the second time in the last three years that he has put up well-below-average offensive numbers.

Ruiz, meanwhile, is every bit the respected leader that Ellis is. But he has also been far more productive in what is his age-37 campaign, slashing a sturdy .261/.368/.352 while striking out just 28 times against 24 walks. (Ellis, it should be noted, also still delivers impeccable plate discipline.)

All told, a swap of reserve backstops hardly constitutes the most impactful mid-season move we’ve seen as contending teams re-shape their rosters for the stretch run. But it’s a unique trade involving two players who were among the most familiar faces in their respective organizations, and may conceivably carry implications that aren’t immediately evident on the stat sheet.

Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer first reported the trade (via Twitter).

I’m stoked on it Colin. I’m a Dodgers fan and I was hoping we got him so this got me pretty pumped. We aren’t getting the player he once was but I still like it a lot. It’s an upgrade over Ellis for sure.

I called this. I was telling my buddy we were going to end up with this guy and he told me I was crazy. Well guess I’m not crazy now lol. This is a great move. Still a great defensive catcher and he can hit still just not as good as he once was although he has been more known for his defense anyways. We most likely will go with 3 catchers, unfortunately I think that means Ellis won’t be back next year and they’ll keep him around next year as well. I love this move though. Good job, Dodgers!

I think it stinks. Ellis is one of the smartest players in the game. It is so difficult to replace the sort of knowledge and intelligence he brings to the game, even when he’s just sitting in the dugout or in the clubhouse. Bad move.

He certainly is. But is being a great clubhouse or dugout guy, worthy of occupying a spot on the active roster? We talk about how valuable those spots are all the time – surely they should be for people producing on the field.

It would be fantastic having him around in an assistant’s capacity, or something along those lines. But he’s an active player, not a coach, so he has to be treated as such.

I’m going to miss him, but roster spots should be available for players who will produce.

It isn’t just because he’s a good guy or even just a smart or knowledgeable player. You hear what the pitchers who’ve worked with him say about the difference he’s made for them and you will understand the value he’s provided that can’t be measured in a batting line. He earned his place on the roster.

I feel bad for A.J. Ellis because he was a team player. However, how often have there been criticisms about a lack of Dodger trades to upgrade the team. I can understand Ellis and Kershaw being shocked and crying. Baseball players are human. It is a shock anytime but especially for a trade to occur in late August. But who doesn’t go through adversity in their lifetime. No one can keep them from continuing their friendship and continue their special relationship. Unfortunately, baseball is a business. I wish AJ only the best. I expect nothing less than professionalism from Clayton Kershaw.

I don’t like this trade. An Ellis is a better catcher because he can make some of our pitchers in the rotation better. I don’t care that Ruiz is better defensively and Ellis is not hitting the ball well because this guy could help improve our pitchers with his experience.

Your assumption is Ruiz doesn’t have experience or make pitchers better which is wrong. I’m a Dodgers fan and I will never underestimate the off the field importance of Elllis. He was great with a young staff which is the reason why Phil wanted him. On the field it is the correct move.

so when Yaz gets hurt or needs to miss a few games, and you see AJ filling in, offensively, he does nothing. and let’s be honest here, if AJ was hitting .260 with good numbers vs lefties, this move wouldn’t be needed.

Okay, so how about running the numbers. The Dodgers have 35 games left to play in the regular season. A backup catcher might start once a week, so let’s say generously six games. Make that, again generously, 25 ABs. At a .200 BA that translates into five hits. At a .260 BA it’s six or seven base hits. So what they’ve really done is upgraded the roster by maybe two base hits. So that’s the actual return they got for Ellis’ knowledge of the pitching staff and all the great work he’s done with them. That’s the real bottom line.

I think Kershaw will be just fine with Ruiz – Roy Halladay pitched a perfect game and a no-hitter as Ruiz as his catcher, and when he won the CY YOUNG Award, he had a duplicate created and gave it to Ruiz.

AJ Ellis is great with pitchers, has solid defensive work, and is a great leader. All can be said about Chooch as well. The difference is that right now Ellis can’t hit his weight. Chooch won’t be stealing a starting gig from Grandal, but he’s an upgrade from Ellis in not being an automatic out four times every night he plays.

Seems to me you basically talk yourself out of your own argument. A backup catcher puts on the equipment maybe once a week, so the backup who bats .260 instead of .200 is probably worth at most a handful of additional base hits over the course of last few weeks of the season. The rest of this time he is working with his pitching staff, an aspect of the game for which Ellis has always received top grades. So what it seems they’ve done here is traded someone who knows this pitching staff inside out for someone who doesn’t know them at all, right in the middle of a pennant race. It’s the triumph of the thinking that a very marginal numerical gain can compensate for the loss of one the team’s most important moving pieces.

…and you responded to a substantive, well-written and focused comment with a wordy, dismissive and vague comment referencing AJ’s alleged ability to “work with a pitching staff”..whatever that means. Any real evidence on that Blue Sky? As David Shoenfield from ESPN points out, Kershaw’s numbers, when throwing to Grandal, have been identical to when AJ is behind the plate.

We all understand that AJ is great guy in the community and the clubhouse, loved by his teammates and is the best friend of the “left arm of God”. Please don’t embellish that by regurgitating the drivel we read in today’s LA Times from Hernandez.

Clayton may or may not re-sign with the Dodgers in three years when he opts-out. I seriously doubt that the FO’s decision to make the team better this year with an obvious upgrade against left-handed pitching will factor into that decision.

Try reading something other than the daily venom coming from your biased, hometown writers in the LA Times.

So I should read your biased venom instead? Wow, tough choice you’re giving me here. Really tough. Seems you managed to write more and say a lot less than I did, and managed to avoid responding to even to a single point. And this ladies and gents is what passes for thoughtful commentary?

Players talk about this stuff, you could look up. See especially, Josh Beckett. But I’m sure it doesn’t count for anything because I may have read it in the LA Times. (BTW I have not even read the Sports section of the Times yet today, but I will check it out over lunch. If you think it’s drivel it’s probably going to be pretty good.)

Thanks for linking the Schoenfield article, norcalblue. It goes beyond the hyperbole and boilerplate I read on too many boards by presenting a side-by-side comparison of Ellis and Ruiz (both the numbers aspect and the “glue” component both have exhibited) without insulting the intelligence of the reader.

Dave Cameron at fangraphs provides the best explanation I have seen on why the Dodgers traded Ellis. I certainly acknowledge that there is some risk associated with this move in the clubhouse; but, given their pursuit of the perfect 40 man roster it is understandable why they did it. While there are some Luddites here who would argue this FO represents the antichrist, it seems to me the team’s success this year, despite a record amount of injuries, demonstrates that they actually know what they’re doing.